The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of Pelargonium.times.domesticum known by the varietal name Duchess (Oglevee No. 424; Walters No. 36W-O). The new variety was discovered in a selected breeding program by Mr. Ernest Walters in Hucknall, Nottingham, Great Britain. The new variety is a selection from the crossing of P. crispum.times.Prince William. The new variety was first asexually reproduced in the United States by cuttings at Oglevee, Ltd., Connellsville, Pa. in January of 1987. The new variety has been asexually reproduced by cuttings at Oglevee, Ltd. in Connellsville, Pa. over a several year period. It has also been trialed at Connellsville and has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics through successive propagations.
The cultivar when grown in a glass greenhouse in Connellsville, Pa. using natural light and 60.degree. F. night and 68.degree. F. day, has a response time of 14 weeks from a rooted cutting, not pinched, to flowering in a 6 inch pot. The response time was determined on plants grown in soilless media employing constant fertilizer 150-200 parts per million of nitrogen and potassium in full light. The rooted cuttings were potted on Nov. 1, 1989 and flowered on Feb. 15, 1990.